Jordan Ayew scored his first Premier League goal in 43 games as he rescued a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Southampton.
The forward's last goal for club or country came in a 4-1 win against Leeds in November 2020, and it would have been a sweet feeling as he slotted home from a tight angle in the 65th minute.
43 - Jordan Ayew has scored his first goal in 43 Premier League matches, last netting against Leeds in November 2020. It's the 24th of his 27 Premier League goals to be scored in the second half (89%). Teamtalk.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 15, 2021
"I think it is massively important [for Ayew's confidence] because with forwards, the more goals you score, the more confident you are about yourself," Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira said after the game.
"But the message has always been clear with Jordan - what we want from him is to keep playing the way he's been playing lately because his work ethic for the team is what we need and what we want. I'm really happy he scored that goal… Hopefully there is more to come from him."
READ ALSO: Sergio Aguero announces retirement from football
Crystal Palace had let a 1-0 lead slip after Wilfried Zaha fired them ahead inside three minutes, picking up immediately where they left off in their convincing 3-1 victory against Everton on Sunday.
But two quickfire goals from Southampton saw them ahead at half-time. James Ward-Prowse curled home a trademark free-kick (33) before Armando Broja (36) scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season.
The sharing of the spoils was a fair reflection overall, with Crystal Palace jumping above Brighton and Brentford into 11th place with 20 points. Southampton remain in 15th place, but are now six points clear of the drop zone despite having not won in their last six games, drawing three.